I'm at week 12 or so.. I've sort of stopped counting after 3 months. Well, the 23rd will be the three month mark. I found that after my surgery, I had absolutely NO appetite. I still don't. The home health team asked me "how is your appetite?" and I told them I didn't have any. They began to run down a list of things I should be eating, but I only gagged at the idea of "Salmon" or "MEAT" of any kind. I'm not a vegetarian or anything, but meat just seemed awful. Also, any form of "protein" to build back muscle. I did find that there are Boost drinks and ones with Protein added.. one has 28% of your daily need, so I make sure I drink 5-6 daily. Tnat's all my intake is... these nutrition drinks. I've had friends go to the store, I have to then throw out whatever it is they bought and lie, saying "it was delicious" - I even hide things in my oven so people will think they've been eaten if I'm surprised with unexpected guests. I haven't seemed to have lost weight from looking at the scales. Maybe this is normal? I seem to get all my daily requirements of vitamins, minerals, calories and most of all protein from these drinks. I'll go out with friends and they'll order a meal, and I'll order iced tea or maybe a mixed drink. They all comment... "why aren't YOU eating?" "How long has it been since you've had a decent meal?" I don't lie. I just say." I'm not hungry. The idea of eating makes me want to gag. I've tried believe me. " Then it starts again, people bringing over food. Sigh...I've never had this happen to me before, I'm 59. I've gone on diets, I've eaten salads, I lost weight when I needed to by eating healthier and becoming more active. I wondered if anyone else had this problem? Do I need to talk to my doctor ( my GP, not surgeon )? See a nutritionist or dietician? I don't know what to do. I can always Google these things. I felt like right after my surgery, when I was on pain meds, that the opiates were masking hunger "pains" as well as the hip pain. When I stopped the meds, I still found myself unable to eat. Any comments are welcome. I'll attach a photo taken yesterday, and you'll see I'm not a skeleton. I think I "look" healthy, but how can I exist on liquids alone? How long am I going to be this way?
How are you sleeping? How is your mood and anxiety level? Do you have support for you? Is there other stuff going on in your life that is problematic. (Who doesn't). Are you in pain?
If this is bothering you and worrying you -absolutely a reason to call your primary cart doctor. Thyroid effects appetite and I'm sure your doc will run labs and check you carefully to see what's going on.
My primary doc sees his patients a week after any surgery.
I don't have much of an appetite. I eat one meal a day most days, but sometimes two. Even then, it's a small portion. I find some food tastes odd now. However, when I had my fall that broke my hip, I also hit my head very hard on tiles and I've learned that concussion can wreak havoc on tastebuds... I didn't see a doctor until the third day after the fall, so entirely possible I had concussion.
Having said that, for the first three weeks after my op I had a ravenous craving for chocolate and I've NEVER had much of a sweet tooth.
On the meat/fish thing: you don't need them for protein if you really can't. I was vegetarian for about 15 years and still eat mostly vegetarian meals. There are a lot of good sources of protein that are not meat. Lentils, mushrooms... just to name two off the top of my head.
Also, make soup... you can put pretty much anything in it and even if you don't want to eat the solids the broth will still be great for you.
Great ideas. I do like lentils. I LOVE Indian food.. and make Dal and Chapati w Potato filling. I also can do Saag. I found a very good frozen meal with everything but the Naan. I heated one and I could barely take a bite. Maybe, if I make it myself, I'll feel more interested in eating it. Also, I won't touch leftovers. I've been that way since I was a child, my father was like that too. As soon as it hits the fridge and cools, I won't eat it. I think to start out. I might just order from a restaurant. A single bowl of lentil soup. Maybe a Naan. No harm to try since the food is not expensive. I can just see me going in and sitting down... and staring at the food they placed in front of me. Asking for a to go box, and tossing it as I leave. I will honestly try the lentils... and hope for a mix of spices. I'm also sure there are 50 million lentil soup recipes online. I'm sorry to hear about your possible concussion when you fell. You said you didn't see a doctor until three days after your fall??? Is that right? Did you not realize you'd fractured your hip? I think that it's only normal to have a craving for chocolate, but really strange since you've never liked sweets to begin with. Our bodies and minds are too closely connected at times. How often our mind can make our bodies sick. Or, our body can make our minds sick.
Luvinlex, thanks for posting about this. So sorry for this upsetting change to not wanting to eat solid foods. It's VERY good that you have found a way to get nutrition in. I would suggest that you do see your regular doctor first for a thorough check-up of your physical health, including all the things that perhaps have gone untended while you have been concerned with your hip. Then you might want to see a nutritionist/dietician and/or a therapist to help you get back to eating, if the MD can't help you.
Any kind of big life change or trauma can trigger an eating disorder, which this very well might be a variant of. One of my young adult children was stricken very young with an ED and manifested several different types of EDs over the years, so I am very familiar with them. She's in solid remission now, I am thankful to say.
I had a minor two or three week period of having no appetite right after my THR. It did come back, but I must say I am not as fully interested in food as I was before the op.
All my best to you, luvinlex!
No, didn't realise I'd broken anything. I was in a LOT of pain, but at 54 I am too young to fall over and break a hip if you know what I mean. When the pain wasn't going away, I caved and went for an x-ray. Even then I didn't realise the seriousness. I thought the doctor said it was a hairline fracture, so didn't even go to emergency until the next day. It turned out to be a huge, nasty break.
On the lentil thing, try m'juddrah, too. It's very easy. Chop a large onion, sweat it down in a little oil. When done, add half of it to equal portions of rice and lentils and cook with a bit of salt and (my taste) lots of pepper. Continue cooking the other half of the onions until they are almost blackened. Drain lentils/rice/onions and served with the blackened onions on top. I like to eat it with a little buttered pocket bread or pocket bread with hummus...
Have many more recipes; that's a really easy and nutritious one.
Can't believe I'm thinking "yummy" Ha.. and I'm "only" just 59!! I went to the doctor, because I had KNEE pain. She was smart enough to take x-rays of the hip as well. Then, I am told my hip is basically disintegrated. I did have pain in the hip, but never, ever thought it would be anything other than maybe sciatica or well.. I don't know. I know now, only from my
physical therpist, that some people go in with knee pain, have their knees x-rayed, and get a knee replacement. Only after that, they find out that the pain was caused from the bad hip.. "Hip bones connected to the knee bone" and all it's muscles, tendons, blood supply and nerves. After the hip replacement, the knee pain goes away. A Physical Therapist knows WAY more than you think. They go to 4 years of college for a BS, then 3 years of more school to study Physical Therapy, then after that, a doctorate in Physical Therapy. At least mine does, and the others do too. I can ask them any question and they know the answer. "why does my neck go "crunch" when I move it from right to left?" "You're getting OLD. The padding gets thin, here let me show you a diagram". I have had lessons on how to properly massage my scar so it's less obvious later. I ask them "where is my massage?" they say, lay down and let me tie this to your knee and now, life that leg as high as you can" They are relentless and I don't think I'd have recovered without actually driving TO their gym and getting one on one instruction. I digress... Such a young thing as you to fall and break your hip, now makes you realize everyone is different. None of my grannies, mother, great grannies... ever had hip issues. Wonder why? Did they just live w pain since there was no surgery for it???
Sure, they just lived with it, as there was no other option. How wonderful that your relatives had no problems, lucky for them! Many of my older relatives had limps and pains in all kinds of joints, some having to use wheelchairs. My own mom had two knee replacements back in the late 80's, early 90's, and had a number of other painful joints.
Thanks. I too think I have had underlying ED most of my life too... I am positive this was learned behavior from the way my mother talked about "being fat" or "horrible to be fat" or "whatever you do, don't ever get fat".
Because, she was fat. Kid #1, lost weight, Kid #2 kinda lost the weight, ME? Kid #3.. she never could get back to her low weight. Felt like it was my fault. Interesting too about how life changes can trigger this. When my mom was dying, I took care of her at home. I also lost my appetite, and my hair also fell out. Exactly like now. Hmmmm. What can I learn from making this connection? Trauma and Stress cause ED or varient of. I'll take "that" and go to my GP. She's already told me the hair loss was from "stress and trauma"
YOU are so smart!!!
I'll be making some lentil soup, and invite a friend over to eat with me so I pretty much can't avoid eating it. I can research ED a bit, but I'm sure you know way more than me. It has to be tough and I'm so happy to hear your daughter is now in solid remission.
Thank you again for your helpful response...
The doc who admitted me to hospital said menopause is a common factor in osteoporosis. Another scoffed at the suggestion. I wonder who to believe these days. The specialist I saw the day my stitches came out said most of the post-op precautions were "rubbish", but then told me not to weight-bear for six weeks. I told him I'd been relying on Dr Google for post-op advice because I was discharged without any and he laughed and said "good for you".
PS Just noticed on your profile you are also a designer. At least we get to sit to work...
Thanks for saying that I am smart, but it really is because I am so darned experienced - 15 years of supporting my daughter through to remission! She had it so bad. And you can believe that I spent a lot of time doing research, reading books, going to conferences, talking with others, and being on forums and on and on. Whew. I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying being on a forum that is populated by people trying to help themselves rather than the more difficult problem of trying to help others who often fight that help when they are deep in the depths of their illness.
But back to you, I think your idea of starting with soup with a friend is a fantastic one! Soup is kind of like a variation on a protein shake! Keep up with the protein drinks though, as soup probably doesn't provide much nutrition. BUT it is a start to getting back to normal eating. The first steps are always the hardest, so please keep reaching out for help to your friends on the ground, to us on the forum, and to appropriate professionals.
Cheering you on, dear luvinlex!
my mom was adopted at age 2 when her 22 year old mother died. She went to live with her grandmother... it was during the depression. Her grandmother couldn't raise her. Most of the older kids were sent out to get jobs and the young ones that couldn't be taken care of were sadly placed in an orphanage hoping some family, better off could raise her. The biological Grandmothere was bent over with arthritis.. and I hear her hands were also gnarly and bent. Since I never knew her... or any of my mothers biological family, I don't know much. Things then were so hush hush and I never even knew she was adopted until I was 35, and boy, what a shock that was. The Grandmother I knew, was not related to be by blood at all. Funny too, I'm 5'9", my mom very close to that, and she was a little bity 4'10" woman. I never even added 2+2. Mom, she had psoriasis, and arthritis of that type. It effected her toes and her hands. Hammer toes, bunions ( I had both feet done ), then frozen joints in her hand, with painful knots. I assume my OA had nothing to do with her or that I got it in my DNA. Dad, never had painful joints, none of the other grannies had any, ( Or, were they REALLY my Grannies???) ;-) So, I can't say none of my relatives were without problems, but most had none at all. More like, "died in her sleep at age 93." << not my biological Grandmother. Sigh... what a mess. It lurks somewhere.
Sorry have to disagree about the soup/nutrition. The nutrition in soup depends what you put in it. I don't really eat dead chickens much, but hasn't chicken soup been a wonder cure for centuries?
I've heard that too.. lack of estrogen being linked to bone density problems. And like, seriously, there are VERY FEW Doctors I even believe tell you the whole truth, they only throw out possible causes but "can't say for sure". Get you out of the office, and on to the next person. Doctors have changed their ways in my lifetime so drastically. My pediatrician actually came to our house when I was sick. I worked at a hospital to pay my way through college, and worked in the OR. I graduated, but I was at such a high pay scale, had 5 weeks vacation, every paid holiday known, and they matched my 401K equal to my contribution. Plus, I Loved working in the Operating Room. The surgeons were all super heros.. some thought they were God, others would join you after work for a few beers and laughs. One urologist, he'd come out and say "girls, you've got to see this Wang on this man!! I've never seen anything like it" Then, this poor man, asleep, had girls all around gasping at his size. OMG!!!! "how does his wife take all that?" LOL... I slowly noticed things were changing. The younger doctors came in, the old ones retired and the normal ones stayed just like that, normal. The Anesthesia doctors were nuts. The OR, it's so closed to the public and other hospital personnel, you felt like you were in this small universe of it's own. OH, and you could ask any of them for a prescription, no matter what it was and they'd say OK with 12 refills?
I digress easily. I just find it hard to believe you get discharged with no instruction!! I had a "personal nurse" who was a specialist with her masters degree and only worked with "joint" patients. I emailed her questions for 2 months. She usually found out what I needed, but also played it dumb. I had home health for 3 weeks, an OT to show me how to give myself a proper bath in the tub on a chair with shower hose. Another nurse to take vitals. Then, a Physical Therpist who worked with me 3 times a week. After I could do stairs and walk up and down the sidewalk, I was discharged and then went to ourpatient PT where I still go. All I know is... I've been told by more than one person..DO NOT WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THIS SURGERY... it's the most brutal thing I've ever seen. It's horrible. You'd never imagine. Now, I SO want to watch this video. Hip Replacemen Anterior approach... 56 minutes. Yikes.
I agree, Belle, that soup is a wonderful food, and I eat it almost every day myself! It just usually doesn't have much protein in it, which is what luvinlex needs most right now. Since she hasn't been eating anything except for protein drinks for 12 weeks, and her first real attempt to eat regular food is going to be a small one (soup), it is not likely to be giving her much in the way of protein. A hearty home-made chicken noodle soup might have 10g of protein, provided you eat it all, same with lentil soup. A woman luvinlex's weight needs at least 52g of protein per day, and probably she needs more in order to regain her health so that her body can get her hair growing well again, etc. A nutritionist or doctor could advise her properly. That is why I was suggesting that she continue with the protein drinks and stop them only gradually until she is adding enough protein through regular food to get her healthy again.
One of my biological grandmothers died when my mom was 10 years old. She had some kind of uterine or ovarian cancer, we never knew exactly. And my other grandmother died when I was only 1 year old of brain cancer. So I never really knew either of them. Many more illnesses and conditions are "fixable" now and we live much longer lives.
Well, free health "care" in Australia. You get what you pay for... I have actually watched a video; it's pretty creepy but when I was a reporter I watched a few operations. I can handle it when it's someone else...
Well - you ARE smart. I'm sure you could teach a class on that one subject and do it well.
I joined the "anxiety" forum here when I first signed up... I felt bad for these people who were suffering what I'd suffered in the past. I might be able to help. Well... after so many "I hate myself and I want to die" "I cut myself so much and it doesn't help" I just couldn't take anymore. (uh, where are their parents??) Yes, we are asking for help, support and advice and we do get that. Those young people... I feel so bad for them, but also I know there is not a single thing I can say or do to help.You are literally wasting your breath. I'm sure you've felt that way before too.
Thank you again for all the support... Out for soup fixin's tomorrow.
True. Grazing on protein-rich snacks such as almonds can also help when you don't feel like eating. 21g protein per 100 grams. I try to graze if I can't eat a meal...